Chicago Bulls Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Jones, Pacers, Bulls, Cavs

March 9th, 2012 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks may be open to offers on Andrew Bogut, and the Bulls have been "quietly deliberating" whether to make a play for Dwight Howard. Those are a couple of the more intriguing rumors we've heard out of the Central Division today. Now let's take a look at a few more under-the-radar stories:

The Pacers could look into signing Solomon Jones for help at center, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star. The Hornets declined to sign Jones for the rest of the season when his second 10-day contract expired, agreeing to a 10-day deal with Jeff Foote instead.
Sam Smith of Bulls.com fields reader questions in his Friday mailbag, discussing Richard Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, and plenty of Bulls trade possibilities.
The Cavaliers should look to the Thunder as a model franchise to emulate, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Thursday

March 8th, 2012 at 11:33pm CST by Luke Adams

In their respective trade-rumor columns for ESPN.com and CBSSports.com, Chad Ford and Ken Berger both talked Dwight Howard today. Ford noted that the Magic still aren't looking to field offers for Howard (though he thinks they should), while Berger reports that the Rockets and Warriors maintain interest in acquiring the star center. Here are the rest of today's Howard links:

In a new column posted Thursday night, Berger notes that the Magic are still not hot on the idea of trading Howard, but if they do, they will ask for a substantial return similar to the one Denver received last year for Carmelo Anthony, including multiple young players and draft picks.
Derrick Rose told ESPNChicago.com's Melissa Isaacson that he's grown weary of the Howard-to-the-Bulls speculation, and that he's happy with the team as presently constructed.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears (via Twitter) that the Magic may consider trading Howard to a team willing to take him on as a rental, rather than one of his preferred teams. Kennedy lists the Rockets and Warriors as teams willing to gamble on him, while also mentioning the possibility that one of these teams could trade for him with the promise that he'd exercise his player option for next year, a la Chris Paul with the Clippers.
In a separate Howard-centric column, Berger says rival executives believe the Magic need to seriously consider moving Howard by next Thursday if they don't get a definitive answer on whether he'll remain in Orlando. "I think they've got to trade him," one rival GM said. "It's a hell of a risk if they don't."
Like everyone else, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears the Magic continue to tell teams that Howard isn't on the trade block. However, one source suggests to Deveney that perhaps the stance is a bluff to create some leverage.
Asked today about the possibility of playing for the Bulls, Howard wasn't quite as talkative as the last time he answered the question: "Nah, it's pretty cold here," Howard jokingly told reporters in Chicago, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
SI.com's Ian Thomsen thinks choosing to re-sign in Orlando could be a great career move for Howard. Former Magic star Tracy McGrady also thinks Howard should stay, as he told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.

Thibodeau Okay With Bulls Standing Pat

March 8th, 2012 at 10:46am CST by Luke Adams

C.J. Watson and Richard Hamilton won't be active for Chicago tonight as the Bulls try to follow up a last-second victory in Milwaukee with another win over the Magic. Although both players are listed as day-to-day, neither seemed on the verge of returning — Watson wore a walking boot on his sprained left ankle yesterday, while Hamilton said he was "just trying to lift [his] arm."

Even with the health of a pair of Bulls guards up in the air though, coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't feel like the team needs to add reinforcements before the trade deadline.

"If we don't do anything, we feel very good about the people we have," Thibodeau told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "We feel depth is one of our strengths, and we have more than enough to win with."

The Bulls are still exploring possible trades, as Thibodeau acknowledged to Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago, but that's more about due diligence than a pressing desire to get anything done.

"We talk every day," Thibodeau said, referring to the Bulls' brass. "Their job is to study the league, field calls; and often times if you have a good team, you have good players, people want them, they call. That doesn't mean we're going to do anything. We listen. And if we think it could make the team better we'll consider it, if not we're more than happy with the roster that we have. We feel very good about that."

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Chicago Bulls

Kyler’s Latest: Sessions, Crawford, Hornets, Bulls

March 8th, 2012 at 8:15am CST by Luke Adams

In today's NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler explores a few potential trade situations, providing the latest updates. Here's what he has for us:

The Cavaliers aren't seeking a significant return for Ramon Sessions. The club would prefer a draft pick and an open roster spot rather than a filler player.
While no deal is imminent, the Timberwolves' interest in Jamal Crawford is very real, and they appear to be the frontrunner. The Blazers are still talking to several teams about Crawford, however.
Mike Dunleavy, who is part of the group that is the favorite to buy the Hornets, feels like he could get Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman, two of his old players, signed to new deals in New Orleans.
The Bulls are talking to other teams, but appear to be surveying the landscape rather than actively trying to get any deals done.

Five Eastern Contenders To Watch At The Deadline

March 7th, 2012 at 11:11am CST by Luke Adams

We covered five Western Conference contenders to watch at the trade deadline yesterday, so let's head east today. Here are five likely Eastern Conference playoff clubs who have some decisions to make by next Thursday:

Heat: With virtually all their key players on multiyear contracts, the Heat don't have much flexibility to make moves. That's not necessarily a big deal for Miami though, since they have a championship-caliber roster as is, and don't need to make a huge splash before the deadline. What they would like to do is add one more big man, preferably a true center who can take the pressure off the power forwards like Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem currently playing out of position for the team. I don't see an obvious target for the Heat, unless they were willing to part with one or two rotation pieces. While I'm Miami will explore myriad trade possibilities, the club may ultimately have to shift its focus to buyout candidates after the deadline.
Bulls: Chicago has enough trade assets to shoot for the moon and make a run at Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol, but that's probably a long shot. Still, with Richard Hamilton's health in question, I don't know that this team is much better than the squad that fell to the Heat in last season's Eastern Conference Finals. I think it'd be worthwhile to explore a deal for a shooting guard in case Hamilton can't be relied upon in the postseason, but the price may be steep. Ray Allen would be a great fit, but is there any way the Celtics trade him to a team they could face in the first round? Yesterday, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune mentioned Jamal Crawford as a possible target, but he'd be a rental that would likely cost the Bulls a young player and the Bobcats' first-round draft pick. Bringing Mike James back may be a simpler and less costly insurance policy for Hamilton.
Magic: The most obvious name on this list, the Magic would create a domino effect of activity around the league if they made a definitive decision on Dwight Howard's status. With just a week over until the trade deadline, reports continue to suggest Orlando seeks reinforcements around Howard, rather than offers for the star center. At this point, I'd be surprised if the Magic altered that stance. I think the team feels it's better off taking its chances trying to convince D12 to stay in Orlando, rather than taking 50 cents on the dollar (or worse) to ship him out of town. A trade for Steve Nash or Monta Ellis is an extreme long shot though, so I'll be interested to see if the Magic can turn their few assets of interest into anything that resembles an actual upgrade.
Pacers: They have a top-four record in the East, but I'm not convinced the Pacers are ready to contend for a title quite yet. They're still at least a piece or two away, and I don't expect they'll find that piece in the next week. But Indiana's tremendous amount of cap space makes the team an obvious candidate to take involve itself in a ton of trade talks. Even if the Pacers don't shop for an immediate upgrade to the current roster, they have the flexibility to take on salary to accommodate another team, perhaps acquiring a draft pick or two for their troubles.
Celtics: Much has been written about whether the Celtics are shopping or listening to offers for Rajon Rondo and their Big Three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen). I wouldn't put it past GM Danny Ainge, who's never shy about pulling the trigger on a major deal, to move one of those four players, but I think it's just as likely that Boston has a relatively quiet deadline. With over $40MM in expiring contracts set to come off the books this summer, the Celtics won't make a move that compromises their future cap flexibility unless they can acquire a core piece in the process. If that deal isn't out there, Boston could make a simpler move, such as trading Brandon Bass in an effort to clear even more cap room for next season.

Odds & Ends: Bulls, Nets, Kings, Hornets, Celtics

March 6th, 2012 at 11:58pm CST by Zachary Links

After a slow start in the early minutes, the Heat had little trouble dealing with the Nets at home. Chris Bosh was back in action tonight and put up 20 points off of 9-14 shooting en route to Miami's 108-78 blowout win. Here's a look at some items from around the Association on this Tuesday night..

With Richard Hamilton set to return soon, Sam Smith of Bulls.com doesn't think the Bulls need to make a deal to fill the veteran's shoes.
Nets general manager Billy King still intends to be active at the March 15 trade deadline even with center Brook Lopez sidelined for the next three weeks, writes Colin Stephenson of the Star-Ledger. Stephenson points out that Mehmet Okur, DeShawn Stevenson, Kris Humphries, Sundiata Gaines, Shelden Williams and the injured Damion James all own expiring contracts.
The Sacramento City Council is expected to approve a plan to give the Kings a new arena and subsequently retain the franchise, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (via Twitter). The meeting is still in progress.
With Emeka Okafor still out indefinitely with a sore left knee, Hornets Coach Monty Williams says there is a good chance center Solomon Jones will be signed for the remainder of the season, writes John Reid of The Times Picayune. In ten games with New Orleans, Jones has averaged 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Kevin McHale was literally in the shoes of the Celtics' current Big Three near the end of his Hall of Fame career with the C's, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Rockets coach told reporters that he believes 2012's Big Three is playing better than himself, Larry Bird, and Robert Parish towards the end of their time in Boston.
Gerald Green is elated to receive another ten-day contract from the Nets, tweets Andy Vasquez of The Record.

Odds & Ends: Randolph, Carter, Bulls, Vazquez

March 6th, 2012 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

While the returns of J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler from the Chinese Basketball Association grabbed more headlines over the last month or so, there are other former NBA players still returning from overseas in search of NBA gigs. One such player is former 76ers forward Shavlik Randolph, who averaged 24.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in China this season. According to Sportando, Randolph is "in serious talks" with two NBA clubs and could sign a deal soon. While we wait to see if the Duke product can find his way back to an NBA roster, let's check out a few more links from around the league….

With the Raptors looking to trade or release Anthony Carter, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel thinks the point guard could be a solid insurance policy for the Heat.
After Richard Hamilton left last night's game with another injury, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wondered whether the Bulls will need to acquire a shooting guard via trade. Prior to last year's deadline, Johnson says, Chicago discussed deals for O.J. Mayo and Courtney Lee. The Bulls announced today that Hamilton is day-to-day with a shoulder contusion and mild sprain.
The Magic still own the NBA rights to 2005 draft pick Fran Vazquez and hope to bring him over for next season, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
David Thorpe of ESPN.com (Insider link) lists the five best "chemistry" guys potentially available at the deadline. His picks: Pau Gasol, Paul Millsap, Gerald Wallace, Chris Andersen, and Rajon Rondo.
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee questions why the Kings felt they had to make the decision to exercise Keith Smart's 2012/13 option so soon.
A few potential first-round draft picks could be running out of time to showcase their in-game skills, writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece.

Odds & Ends: Draft, O’Neal, Heat

March 2nd, 2012 at 7:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

On this date 50 years ago, Wilt Chamberlain delivered his 100-point game for the Warriors against the Knicks in Hershey, Pa. Chamberlain averaged more than 50 points a game that season, but wasn't the MVP. Instead, Bill Russell got the nod. You'd figure having that over his friend Wilt would convince Russell to speak openly on the anniversary of Wilt's accomplishment, but as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com noted last night, he doesn't want to talk about it. Here are a few notes from today's NBA, where plenty more are willing to open their mouths:

Berger offers a primer on dissecting trade talk as the rumor mill nears peak season. The keys are to consider the source, discount mere discussion, and know that when one coach or team executive denies a trade rumor, another could be working on that very deal in the next office.
Michael Lee of The Washington Post is the latest to call this year's draft class, led by Kentucky big man Anthony Davis, one of the deepest in years. But top draft prospects Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Perry Jones and Quincy Miller are all giving indications they may stay in school, writes ESPN's Chad Ford. (Insider link)
Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal, rumored to be part of a potential Michael Beasley deal, is considering season-ending wrist surgery, reports Paul Flannery of WEEI radio.
South Florida Sun Sentinel writer Ira Winderman answered reader questions about the Heat. The efficiency of the Heat's rotation has kept the Heat out of trade talks this year, but team president Pat Riley remains on the lookout for any available top-tier talent.
Sam Smith opened up his Bulls.com mailbag, too. He doesn't foresee Chicago making a deal, and doesn't seem them signing draft-day acquisition Nikola Mirotic any time soon, either. He believes the 6'10" big man with the inside-outside game, currently playing overseas, is at least a couple years away from joining the Bulls. He also says the notion that Beasley could be had for a second-round pick, an idea advanced by Berger in his piece, says plenty about how far the former No. 2 overall pick has plummeted.

Amico On Rondo, Sessions, Watson, Warriors

March 1st, 2012 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest piece for FOX Sports Ohio, Sam Amico talks Rajon Rondo, Ramon Sessions, and other trade candidates. Here's what Amico has for us:

Amico hears from an NBA executive that the Celtics "hardly feel desperate" to trade Rondo, despite reports suggesting Boston is aggressively shopping its point guard. The same exec wonders if the Celtics could package Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal in the same deal.
A source says it would be "a miracle" if Sessions is a Cavalier past the trade deadline, even though the team "wouldn’t be against keeping him." At one point, it seemed as if the Lakers may ramp up their pursuit of Sessions, but Amico's source isn't sure if that's happened yet.
C.J. Watson is drawing interest, and while the Bulls are happy with his play, they'll listen to offers.
Amico is the latest reporter to hear that a Monta Ellis-to-Orlando deal is highly unlikely, due to the Magic's lack of non-Dwight Howard assets.

Odds & Ends: Rondo, Curry, Lin

February 29th, 2012 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

With just about every team back in action after the All-Star break, here are a few leap day notes from around the league:

The Celtics have intensified their efforts to trade Rajon Rondo, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN. Broussard says sources have told him the Celtics consider Rondo to be too high maintenance, and so the team is considering a deal with the Warriors for Stephen Curry that's been percolating since December. Other players would have to be in such a deal for it to work. ESPN's Chris Forsberg also contributed to the report.
Shabazz Muhammad, a premier college prospect who currently sits atop the class of potential 2013 draftees according to NBADraft.net, could be in trouble with the NCAA, report Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. The NCAA has informed schools recruiting Muhammad that his amateur status is in question. According to Goodman and Parrish, there are concerns that the 6'5", 210-pound shooting guard has been receiving payments for unofficial visits to campuses, among other benefits. Since NBA draft rules prohibit Muhammad from entering the league until a year after his high school class graduates, he may be forced to head overseas next year.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com doesn't see much truth in the rumored swap of Lamar Odom and Steve Nash, unless several other components are involved.
It seems every other day we find out about another team that came close to signing Jeremy Lin, but whiffed. Today that team is the Italian club Banca Tercas Teramo, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY. The team was "extremely close" to signing him, Lin said, but they went with Charles Jenkins instead.
The Chris Paul trade may have transformed the Clippers, but since amnesty claim Chauncey Billups was lost for the year with an Achilles' tear, the Clips have gone 5-5 and appear to have lost their mojo, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times examines.
Before handing the Spurs just their second home loss of the season, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau praised San Antonio's ability to identify and nurture the talent necessary to keep the team on top, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. Thibodeau hopes the Bulls can copy that model.
Jazz swingman Josh Howard, an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has responded well since Raja Bell's injury forced him into the starting lineup, notes Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune.